UN buys oil tanker to avert environmental catastrophe off the coast of Yemen
The United Nations has announced the acquisition of the tanker Safer - abandoned for decades off the coast of Yemen - to prevent a potential natural disaster in the area. The vessel's poor condition could cause leaks, which would trigger a serious ecological and humanitarian crisis on a large scale.
The purchase of this ship, according to the head of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), Achim Steiner, marks "the beginning of the operational phase of the UN-coordinated plan to safely remove the oil, thus avoiding an environmental and humanitarian disaster". UNDP has contracted the marine salvage company SMIT to safely remove the crude oil from the cargo ship and tow the Safer to a green salvage yard.
Today we signed an agreement to purchase a vessel as part of the @UN-coordinated operation to remove +1 million barrels of oil from the decaying #FSOSafer tanker off #Yemen's coast, which threatens a humanitarian & environmental disaster. https://t.co/VvzT8m6SGo#StopRedSeaSpill pic.twitter.com/h9mmcHQeBV
— UN Development (@UNDP) March 9, 2023
Removing the oil is the first phase, but more funds are still needed to continue the emergency phase of the project, which has a total budget of $129 million. The UN has raised $95 million so far, and has received $75 million. Steiner acknowledged that the organisation could suspend the operation if the remaining funds are not forthcoming. "Let me be very clear: this is a risky operation and things could go wrong," he warned.
David Gressly, the UN Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator for Yemen, has stressed the point. "We are now in the operational phase and we expect the oil to be taken out of the Safer in the next three to four months. But we still urgently need funds to implement the plan and prevent disasters," he said.
The UN had been trying to reach a solution for some time, even asking for a ship to be donated or leased. Finally, due to the difficulties and challenges, they decided to buy the ship. "Frankly, we had no choice," Gressly acknowledged.
Similarly, the UN has been warning for many years about the danger posed by the Safer stranded off the Yemeni coast, as the amount of oil it holds is four times greater than that carried by the Exxon Valdez, which caused one of the biggest environmental disasters in history.
The Safer has received no maintenance of any kind due to the ongoing war in Yemen between the internationally recognised government and the Iranian-backed Houthi rebels. The conflict has turned the Arab nation into one of the world's largest and most serious humanitarian crises, with more than 20 million people dependent on assistance for survival.
The withdrawal of oil from the Safer is good news as a leak could devastate the waters of the Red Sea. "Entire communities would be exposed to potentially deadly toxins and millions of people would be affected by contaminated air," explains the UN.
The ports of Hudaydah and Saleef, key to the delivery of food, fuel and vital supplies to the country, would have to close, as would desalination plants, which would mean no water for millions of people.
The international organisation points out that the oil could even reach the African coast and affect any country that washes into the Red Sea, which would also have serious consequences for coral reefs and marine life in general.
Environmental organisations such as Greenpeace have also echoed this danger, urging countries in the region to act before it is too late, as an incident in the Safer, which they consider "a ticking time bomb", could affect the whole area.
